


One Thousand and Fifty-Two Ravens

by yesIam



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Challenge Response, Humor, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-08
Updated: 2008-11-08
Packaged: 2018-08-19 00:17:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8181370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yesIam/pseuds/yesIam
Summary: Halloween Hexfiles exchange fic.  Written for MrTibbles who's words were:  thrill, spirit, raven, noctivagant, coalesce





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from SeparatriX, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Hex Files](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Hex_Files), which was closed for financial and health reasons. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Hex Files collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thehexfiles/profile).

This fiction was beta'd by Romany.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**One Thousand and Fifty-Two Ravens**

 

The dark man paced before the long desk. His dark robes swishing and swirling around his feet. Every so often he glanced at the miscreants who were sitting beside each other in the two guest chairs looking guiltily at the floor of the office.

Severus Snape tried very hard to regain control of his anger. Pacing helped. Glaring helped. The boys’ nervous visages with their downcast eyes helped. Snape drew in a long and ragged breath before he turned, facing the two young men.

“I had hoped,” he began in little more than a growl, “that your **noctivagant** activities would cease as you matured, Potter.” He fixed Harry Potter with a cold glare. “Clearly, I was elevating you to levels you have not yet achieved.”

Harry’s face darkened with anger and he squirmed in his chair, continuing to stare at the floor boards. Snape took a small amount of pleasure in the young man’s struggle to keep his temper.

“I can only assume that you must be responsible for the absolutely reprehensible behaviour of Mister Malfoy,” Snape continued, turning his dark eyes toward the blond beside Harry. “I am at a loss, Draco, as to why or how this – cretin,” he pointed a long finger at Harry, “managed to engage you in his tomfoolery.”

Draco licked his lips and surreptitiously glanced at the person seated on his left. Swallowing noisily, he glanced up at the Potions master. Draco’s mouth opened and closed several times; clearly he wished to say something. However, the words seemed to be disappearing before they could **coalesce** into some semblance of speech. Snape thought it pathetic and rolled his eyes for good measure.

“Nothing to say for yourselves?” Snape sneered. Draco blushed and looked away, while Harry continued his struggle to keep his temper in check.

Snape harrumphed disdainfully. “I believe a suitable punishment would be for you two dunderheads to return to the Great Hall and clean up the **raven** excrement currently adorning nearly every flat surface – without – magic,” Snape said forcefully. “I shall take your wands.” Snape held out his hand waiting for the two young men to deposit their wands.

Draco, however, jumped up from his chair seconds before Harry did. “You can’t do that!” he squealed while Harry nodded.

“I assure you, Mister Malfoy, I can,” Snape said imperiously hand still held out awaiting the wands.

“But, Professor…”

“No, buts, Mister Malfoy. Your wand.”

“Now, see here, Snape,” Draco snarled, “you can’t give us detentions. We are professors not students!”

“Ah. I see.” Snape snarked. “Professors. And were you Professors, Mister Malfoy, when you commandeered the Great Hall at midnight, hogtying Mrs Norris, and then conjuring one thousand and fifty-two ravens? Ravens that then proceeded to panic and defecate all over the house tables?”

Draco flushed guiltily and looked away. Harry however mumbled something under his breath, causing Snape to glare in his direction.

“You have something to say, Potter? Come, come speak up. The world awaits your words of wisdom, I am sure.”

Harry looked directly at Severus Snape then, his eyes sparkling with anger and raw power. Snape was momentarily taken aback, but regained his mask of indifference quickly. 

“It was only a prank, Snape,” Harry snarled. 

“A prank?” Snape looked disgusted. “And what a lovely prank it was. I am sure the students will appreciate eating their morning porridge amongst the, oh-so delicate droppings of one thousand and fifty-two ravens.”

Harry had the good sense to hang his head in shame. “That wasn’t what we meant to happen,” he mumbled.

“Regardless, the two of you will give me your wands and then proceed to the Great Hall, you will find cleaning supplies already there, you will then clean the hall of all the aforementioned waste of one-thousand and fifty-two ravens.”

“Will you stop saying that?!” Draco snapped.

Snape raised one dark brow, hand still held out. “What? One thousand – ”

“Yes, that! Alright we get it! Merlin!”

“I suggest, Mister Malfoy, that the next time you feel the urge to use an unknown and untested spell that you remember the **thrill** of this evening,” Snape said sarcastically. 

Draco winced and reluctantly handed Snape his wand. “Come on, Harry,” he said softly. 

Harry glanced between Snape and Draco, before he too handed over his wand. “And no wandless feats of wonder tonight, Potter,” Snape added as he pocketed the two wands. 

Snape turned sharply and sat behind his desk watching the two walk out the door, whispering noisily to each other.

“That man has no Halloween **spirit** ,” Harry growled.

“Next year we should just prank him,” Draco hissed.

Snape narrowed his eyes as he watched Harry nod in agreement before the door shut behind them. Perhaps he should plan a month-long sabbatical next Halloween.


End file.
